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The balloon Liberty, left, is lit at the 2013 Balloons Over Horseshoe Bay Festival. This year, two balloons modeled after cartoon duo Tom and Jerry will make their world debut.

Scott Lewis via Flickr CC

Scott Lewis via Flickr CC

The balloon Liberty, left, is lit at the 2013 Balloons Over Horseshoe Bay Festival. This year, two balloons modeled after cartoon duo Tom and Jerry will make their world debut.

Spring is in full bloom in Austin. Although we may not have cherry blossoms, springtime will bring time-old local favorites and international talent to Austin. Celebrate warmer temperatures and the occasional spring shower with these events.

This aerial display will light up Hill Country’s skyline throughout the day and into the night. Accompanied by live music, twenty hot air balloons from across the country will fly in this fifth annual event on April 14 through 16 at the Horseshoe Bay Resort. Bring a camera to capture “Balloon Glow” in the evenings, where the balloons are illuminated simultaneously.

From a shipping container to a concrete dome, these homes are helping to keep Austin weird in their own way. Three years of touring the best weird homes will culminate in this year’s event where a ticket will invite you into Austin’s most outlandish houses. This year’s picks include a wildlife refuge, art oasis, and “cabinet of curiosities”.

When the Congress Avenue Bridge, or “Bat Bridge”, was redone in 1920, crevices were added for aesthetic purposes. Despite initial petitions to remove the bat colony that settled in the alcoves, more than 100,000 people come to watch the bats emerge today.

Watch as more than half a million Mexican free-tailed bats leave the largest urban colony of bats over Lady Bird Lake. During April, the bats are in their gestational period and will fly out before sunset and return before sunrise. The colony will continue to fly until migration in November.

25 years of poetry continues on with this year’s four day AIP festival. Workshops on poetry from translating to marketing will be offered by published and award-winning poets. Anthologies of submitted poetry from attendees, including students from elementary to high schools, will be published. Admittance is free for high school students.

Some of the biggest names in comedy will perform in this three day festival. Comedians and podcasters from across the country are scheduled to appear in various venues across the city. Headliners include stand-up comedian and Netflix star Ali Wong, grammy-nominated Patton Oswalt, Saturday Night Live alumni Jay Pharoah, and People’s Choice Award Winner Matt Bellassai.